What The Eyes Cannot See
by Starship Artisan
Summary: For MoD and Tune's Fireside Tales Contest: AU. Marth never liked hospitals. Marth/Samus.


**A/N: **Okay, a couple of things before the story. This is a contest entry for Messenger of Dreams and Tune4Toons Fireside Tales Contest. I incorporated the required themes as best I could, and I think I did a fairly good job. I hope you enjoy it, dear reader!

Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Brothers. All things mentioned belong to their respected owners.

**Edit: **Minor grammar fixes.

**Another Edit: **The story ended up wining first place! I am so happy!

* * *

**What The Eyes Cannot See**

"So you're telling me," he narrowed his eyes in suspicious, "that this pain is being caused by my flaring appendix, meaning I have to get emergency surgery or else it could rupture and cause an infection which could potentially lead to my death."

The doctor nodded in response, "Er, yes, that's right, Marth. We'll have you in for surgery as soon as possible, but for now you're going to have to wait in your hospital room."

The boy knows this already. He enjoys knowing things, and has looked up conditions like this before—more so out of interest, rather than actual concern. He nodded towards the doctor, who led him back to his hospital room. This certainly was the cherry on top of his great day, there was nothing quite like having pain in his abdomen while he was over at Ike's house studying, well, more like he was studying and his friend was goofing off as usual. Although, Marth had to be thankful that Ike's mother just so happened to be a nurse, and after hearing his griping, saw fit to send him to the hospital.

Since snow had settled in by this point in early December, the car ride wasn't exactly pleasant and overly long for his tastes.

That is what brought him here in present time to this whitewashed hospital, where everything was dull and gloomy, that certainly made the boy feel "comfortable" in this environment. As they weaved through various hallways to his room, he watched the various people whom he passed—most of them looking deathly sick, emotionally distraught, or clearly either staff or visitors. He found the mood fitting, for he felt like he was marching to his impending death, which appeared to loom over the horizon faster than he'd like.

It's not like he was being paranoid and slightly melancholic, no, not at all.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they arrived at the correct room. The doctor led him in and told him where to go, and that he would go for his surgery in a few hours and so on and so forth…

Somewhere during his explanation, he had quit listening and instead chose to watch the open door to his room, in hope of seeing something or someone of interest. Unfortunately for him, nothing like that appeared.

"Marth? Did you hear me?" He turned his head slowly as to not reveal his embarrassment at being caught daydreaming like a fool. He has quite the poker face.

"Yes, yes. Surgery in a while, I got it." The doctor didn't look pleased with his snarky reply, but he didn't retaliate against the teenager. With a nod of recognition, the doctor turned around and walked out of the room.

It occurred to the boy suddenly that he was stuck in this room for who knows how long with nothing to do. He cursed under his breath, and hoped that he could somehow acquire a book to pass the time. Waiting for a nurse to check on him, he took to examining the outside world through the hospital window. Although both inside and outside were bleached white, the outside was much more appealing to the azure haired boy, for it didn't emit the same atmosphere as hospitals tend to do. Even if he doesn't enjoy going outside and into the cold, he would definitely prefer that over the ghastly building.

He looked away from the window impatiently, only wanting at least _something_ to do. His deep frown evened out as he thought, because there was no point in being picky about these sorts of things; after all, it isn't like he's royalty or anything. He takes to actually examining the room by this point, seeing the small table and chairs across from his bed, presumably for visitors, and the flowers sitting on the table to lighten the room. He found it funny, because they were daisies, and the room had enough white in it already—not to mention the fact that they appeared to be fake.

Regardless of his examining—he began counting the ceiling tiles at one point (28 in the room)—he was still bored out of his skull. One would think that some form of entertainment would have been provided, but alas, it was not.

It was odd though, because—whether it was his imagination or not—he swore that he could hear singing. It was calm and sweet, coming from a feminine voice who was singing a song that he remembers all too well, after all, his parents love it. The song in question, Waltzing Matilda, was fleeting through his head and, without realizing it; he started to hum it to himself quietly. The voice suddenly stopped, though, and he opened his eyes—when had he closed them, he wondered?

After a few minutes, he dismissed it as his mind playing tricks on him. That is, until he heard it once again, except much more clear this time:

"_Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong, under the shade of the of a coolibah tree. He sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled, 'You'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me._'"

As he listened, he couldn't help but smile, mostly because the voice was so sweet and the words were sung beautifully, not to mention the fact that it was one of the songs that he would never get tired of. Now, normally, Marth doesn't get this emotional over songs, but this case seems to be an exception.

A thought struck him suddenly. The voice was not very far away, in fact, if he heard correctly it sounded as if the voice was only in the room over or so. Thinking for a moment about the ludicrous idea that popped into his brain, he figured that he had nothing better to do, anyway. As quietly as possible, he snuck out of his bed and to the door. He quickly stuck his head out the door and surveyed the hallway; there was nobody there. He followed the voice, finally arriving upon the open door. He peeked inside, seeing a girl in the room, her long blond hair was the first thing he noticed, along with the fact that she was gazing out her window.

"_Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you'll come a-waltizing Matilda with m_—wait, who is there?" Marth jumped in alarm, wondering how the hell she managed to catch him even if she wasn't looking in his direction while she was singing. He let out a yelp—a very _manly_ yelp, mind you.

"Who are you?" she questioned, staring at him, but not in aggression, but more so of curiosity. It almost reminded him of his own self sometimes.

Then he recalled that she asked him a question.

"Oh, uh, I didn't mean anything I just heard your nice singing and I thought that it was really good…" Her features softened at the compliment, and he thought that he saw the start of a smile uplifting her lips.

"What is your name?" she asked simply and without fear.

"Oh, it's Marth."

She chuckled, "Hello Marth. Do you like that song?"

"Yes, I do," he confirmed softly.

"So do I. Do you know where it's from?"

"It's Australian," he recited, knowing since he's read many articles about this song in particular, "it's considered to be an unofficial anthem of sorts." Normally, he wouldn't hesitate to rattle off his knowledge of certain things, but in this case, he felt almost nervous to tell this girl about it. He was not sure why, but regardless, she grinned at his answer.

"Yes, exactly. You're very smart, aren't you?" she teased—at least, that's what he thought. It seemed as if she was teasing him for his knowledge, which, if anyone else had done it, he would have gotten angry. In this case; however, he felt his face heat up a bit.

"I suppose I am." He didn't want to sound arrogant or anything, but she didn't very much care.

"Don't be shy, knowledge is a good thing." She paused for a moment, almost in consideration, "Do you enjoy reading?"

"Yes, of course!" he blurted out on instinct, and he silently scolded himself for how eager he sounded in this regard. He doesn't even understand why he is trying to impress her.

She laughed lightly, "Do you have any books with you?"

He grimaced, "No, do you?"

"No, I don't." Her mood seemed to deflate at this, and he desperately thought of something to brighten her up again. Sadly, luck was not on his side as he heard:

"What are you _doing_?" a nurse scolded from the door, and he whipped around and began to apologize. She was a bit of an older woman, one who seemed like that old nagging grandmother who would pull your ear if you did something wrong. This lady didn't do this, but Marth didn't want to take chances and rushed out of the room; as he did, he heard her laugh.

He really liked her laugh.

It wasn't until a little while later that he realized that he had not gotten her name.

* * *

Marth was not happy.

"I don't understand why I have to stay here," he muttered under his breath, feeling spiteful towards the doctor who told him not to walk around in fear of opening his stitches. While reasonable, he wanted to talk to that girl again. He didn't know why he cared so much, it's not like he's known her for a long time or anything. He just felt... Weird...

No, he really did not know why.

His thoughts were interrupted by an odd noise. He moved his head to see where it had came from, and by some strange miracle, it was her. She looked a bit confused and unsteady, and the cane that she used for support was caught in the middle of the space between the door frame and the open door. He tried to move quickly to help, but she got it free and he wasn't able to leave his bed, anyway, and felt his stitches pull when he leaned to one side. She chuckled, and sauntered over to him with ease, and he grew puzzled.

"Hold on a second," he began, "why do you need that cane? You don't seem to need it."

He hoped she didn't take it as rude as it sounded.

She looked surprised, "So I don't run into things, why?"

"But..." he sounded very confused, "What? Don't you use canes for support?"

"Marth... You haven't noticed anything... Off, about me have you?"

"If you expect me to respond in a Twilight-like manner, then you must be sorely mistaken," he replied back sarcastically while crossing his arms over his chest, and she smiled patronizingly.

"I'm curious to know how you would know what a 'Twilight-like manner' would sound like," she said with a grin, and he began to blush.

"Th-That's not the point! What are you talking about?"

"I can't see."

...

"Oh."

"Is something the matter?"

"No, not at all." He looked pensive for a moment, taking this new information into consideration. He hadn't met anyone with any significant physical handicaps like this, so he found it slightly intriguing along with a feeling of sympathy for the poor girl.

Although, he reasoned in his mind, she was probably used to it. He wanted to apologize, but what for? It would probably only serve to annoy her, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

"I know what you're thinking, "I'm so sorry! Poor you!"" She laughed bitterly, "Don't feel sorry for me. I'm still a regular person in mental terms."

"I never said—" She shushed him with one finger.

"But you thought about it. I know it's an initial reaction, but be reminded of people like Helen Keller. She couldn't see _or _hear and was an inspirational woman. I could be like that, you know."

It occurred to him at that moment just how profound that she truly was. It rendered him speechless.

"You're... I like you," he said lamely and spontaneously after moments of silence. Realizing the implications of his words, he sputtered. "I mean—"

She cut him off with a laugh, "I understand what you meant."

"Oh, okay..." he trailed off awkwardly, "So you've never seen snow before?"

"No, but I enjoy the feel of it. I imagine it to be as amazing as people keep telling me that it is, Marth."

He rubbed the back of his head, "Right sorry... Oh! That reminds me, you never told me your—"

"What is going on in here?"

The same nurse from yesterday stomped into the room, and seeing the girl, she frowned and crossed her arms over her chest in disappointment.

"Really you two. You can have plenty of time to see each other when you're both fully recovered! Get back to your room, miss!"

The girl chuckled despite the threatening aura radiating from the nurse, "I'm sorry. I'm on my way."

She got up with hardly any trouble and trekked back to her room with help from the nurse who guided her. Marth continued to sit on the bed, and a million more questions revolved around his mind without stopping.

He just hoped that he could see her again soon.

* * *

The nurse was watching him like a hawk.

It had only been around a week, but knowing that he would probably find some way to sneak out of the room—even though he definitely should not be walking—the nurse sat on a chair right beside the door outside, and after a while, another nurse would come and take her place. He could see whoever was watching from an angle, so he knew that they were there. He cursed himself quietly and tried to relax.

Once he was okay to walk, he would go see and ask his questions to the blond girl.

He was too distracted in his thoughts that he missed the conversation outside of the room, but he managed to notice the stumbling figure of his best friend, Ike. Along with him was their other good friend, Link, who looked quite worried.

"Oh thank God you're alive!" Link looked absolutely relieved, and it not been for the stitches, he was sure that Link would attempt to hug him; Marth only found his presence to be irritating.

"What do you want?"

"We came to see you! It hasn't been the same without you, you know! I don't know about Ike, but it feels weird only being two of us. We're like the three musketeers, you know!" Link sounded very enthusiastic, which Marth found a bit surprising considering how quiet and soft spoken the boy normally was. Then again, he was forced to spend time with Ike of all people...

"Yeah! Plus it seems like you have no one to talk to, because the people around you don't seem very interesting..."

"Yeah..." Marth thought for a second, but then a realization dawned on him, "Wait, what about the people around me?"

"Oh. We got curious and checked the people in the rooms next to you, but they were all asleep... All old people, so I'm guessing it was boring."

"Old people? What about the room to the left?"

"Yeah, there's an old woman in there. Link, you saw her, right?"

"Yeah. She was asleep, so she never noticed us. Wait, Marth! You look really pale!"

Marth's head started to swim. It had only been a little while, so why wasn't she there? Then again, she never did tell him why she was here in the first place; his mind started to panic, coming up with worst case scenarios and seemingly forgetting his friends who were standing right beside the bed.

"Marth...?" Ike questioned, but Marth didn't hear him. The two friends gave each other a look of befuddlement, before Link started to question him.

"Hey Marth, what's going on?" He placed a hand on his shoulder, and Marth jerked as if he had jumped five feet into the air, but reality descended upon him.

"Sorry. There was this girl... and she..."

"Wait, a girl? You're not talking about that old woman, right?" Ike questioned frantically, and Link only looked at him as if he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

"No! She was around our age, and she was blind with long blond hair... and... I never got her name..."

"Are you sure that you're not hallucinating from the pain killers?" Link questioned skeptically, but Marth knew that he had met her. He just knew it.

"But it was before I went for surgery! I know that I met her!"

"You're acting really weird. You've never panicked like this before!" Link sounded incredibly worried, and Marth managed to calm himself enough so he wasn't shaking as bad, but he was still in a state of hysteria. It was odd, he thought, it was true that he's never acted this way before.

And for a girl, no less.

He stared at his hands in thought, and his friends watched him without a word, but examining his appearance as if that may clue them in on what he was thinking.

Maybe it really had been a dream. Maybe his mind had invented a person, and the nurse was sitting there the whole time for no reason. Maybe his conversation that rang quite clearly through his mind had in fact not happened. Maybe the person who seemed perfect to him was only a figment of his imagination.

"I don't understand..." he said quietly, "It seemed so real..."

"Listen," Link cut in, "you're really starting to scare us. We're going to go for a bit, but we'll be back later..."

They started to walk out of the room, but Ike stopped for a moment mid-stride, just as they were about to go out the doorway.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. I talked to the nurse, and you're allowed to leave in a couple of days!"

Marth was too distracted to care.

* * *

The next couple of days went by quickly. As soon as he knew it, Marth was being driven back to his home with his parents as if nothing had ever happened.

He had come to the realization that she could have really been a work of his imagination, and although he would not like to admit it, that was probably true. The teenager decided that it would be best to simply move on and forget her, as it would cause less pain in his thoughts and he could move on in his life.

Of course, nothing lasts forever. It is common sense and Marth is all about common sense.

The voice in the back of his mind; however, would still remain and tell him not to give up hope. It would tell him that she wasn't a figment of his imagination, that she was real and would find him someday, just wait.

But he can't wait. There is no point.

* * *

"Hey Marth, do you remember that time when you made up an imaginary girl when you were in the hospital?" Ike joked as they walked home from school. Marth frowned; embarrassed by his thoughts and the fact that Ike wouldn't let him live it down. Link wouldn't mention it, because he knew how Marth felt about it, but he would still laugh whenever Ike made the joke.

"Very funny. Weren't you the one who had imaginary friends until you were twelve years old?" Marth retorted bitterly.

"That's different! Yours was only a year ago!"

It was hard to believe that a year had passed, and although Marth agreed with himself that he would move on, he was still stuck. He had managed to forget about it for the most part, but every once in a while he would have a dream, the same dream that recreated the events at the hospital in the way that he believed that it should have unfolded.

Really though, he would have been fairly content if he had at least known her name.

"Earth to Marth! Hey, listen to me, will you!" Link was in his face without him noticing, and he was about to ask what he wanted before he realized that they were about to part ways.

"As much as I want you to come over..." Link trailed off, and Ike started to laugh.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening." He turned in the direction of his house, and the other boys did the same. "Bye you guys, see you tomorrow.

They parted ways, but Marth disregarded his little slip up in favor of returning to his train of thought. Surely it wasn't healthy to think like this, but he really could not help it.

He continued to walk home through his usual rout, around small corner stores and an elementary school, and then finally, through the park that was only a couple of blocks from his house. It was routine, and something that he could remember even though his mind was side tracked. The boy snapped himself out of his thoughts as he approached the park, marking them off as hopeless and ridiculous.

It was ironic, really, that he picked this moment. For when he looked up from the ground and actually perceiving his surroundings, he was shocked.

There was a bench along the path in the park, and on that bench sat the familiar looking blond girl. He stopped walking and looked awestruck at her figure, but she did not notice him approaching. Without thinking, he raced up to the bench, but when he got within a few meters he remembered something.

He doesn't even know her name.

"Um, miss?" He questioned, and she jumped slightly, but a few moments later, she moved her head to face him and he was sure of it. She seemed slightly surprised, but if she knew who he was, she did not react.

"You..." he begins, but she looks hesitant.

"Do... Do I know you from somewhere? You sound very familiar..."

"We met at the hospital. I'm Marth, remember?"

Her face lit up like the lights on a Christmas tree. "Of course I remember you! It's been so long!"

On the inside, he was absolutely overjoyed that he had found her finally. The voice in the back of his head was rejoicing, knowing that he was right all along, although while this was going on inside his head he was still standing there, grinning like an idiot.

And he remembered.

"I never got your name!" he blurted.

She looked surprised. "Really? Oh, it's Samus. Samus Aran."

"That's a very nice name, Samus." He didn't know what had happened. He was acting completely different, but in a remarkable way.

"Thank you, Marth. I'm sorry I never got to meet you again, but after I got out of the hospital I had no way of contacting you. The truth is, though, I never really forgot you."

He grinned, "I never forgot you, either." He paused in consideration before he said, "And I don't think that I ever will."

As if on cue, it started to snow.

She reached out her hand with her palm facing up towards the sky as the snow was falling, a look of pure calm contentment on her face as she did so.

"I wonder if the snow looks as nice as it feels..." she wondered aloud.

He nodded and replied softly, "It really does."

Marth smiled to himself, because even though it was a cold and frigid winter day, being around Samus made it just a little bit warmer.

Not that he would admit it.


End file.
